2 minute read
Stamford American International School offers a strong language program that begins the very first day a child arrives on campus. The school’s goal is for students as young as 18 months to become global citizens who create their own unique future. Learning Spanish or Chinese and English as an Additional Language (EAL) at Stamford American is supported by staff, facilities, and resources such as an iPad for each student that comes with free apps. learning to support language acquisition.
Here are four ways the school supports language learning for its students.
#1 Daily Spanish and Chinese lessons
Stamford’s USA team believes that being multilingual is a key part of global citizenship and should be encouraged from an early age. Thus, starting in kindergarten, the school offers daily instruction in Spanish or Chinese by native-speaking education specialists in a dedicated language learning environment. There are also a variety of cultural activities and celebrations at school to foster an early appreciation and tolerance of cultural diversity.
#2 Bilingual English-Mandarin
Unique to Stamford American, the English/Mandarin Bilingual Program employs a bilingual teacher model – the same teacher teaches both English and Mandarin. This allows for a seamless transition during learning, while providing the opportunity to explore content in greater depth in both languages. Students have the opportunity to simultaneously develop two sets of linguistic codes and experience continuous “translinguing” between two languages, which is essential to building understanding.
#3 English as an Additional Language (EAL)
The school’s EAL program aligns with its commitment to being inclusive. All of its English language learners, regardless of their English proficiency, are integrated into the school’s main classes and subjects.
While Stamford American maintains high learning expectations, the school also strives to provide support at appropriate levels so that all students can meet these expectations.
#4 Preparatory Course for Secondary (PCS)
PCS is a rigorous program that aims to improve a student’s academic English in 20 weeks. Students learn English in innovative and exciting ways through core subjects, with more than 150 graduates from countries such as China (including Taiwan), Israel, South Korea, Japan, the Czech Republic and the Kuwait.
Hear from American Stamford students and parents
“Being in the bilingual class allows me to learn more languages and to be more creative when it comes to learning. Whenever I go somewhere with my parents, they encourage me to speak Chinese to Mandarin speakers and it always makes their day. – Cristina, 5th grade
“In just one year at EAL, our son has improved so much. It was a joy to watch him develop his general English skills and become more comfortable with English. – Parent of 3rd year
“With PCS, I met new people from other countries like China, Korea, Italy and Denmark. It’s a good program to help me improve my level of English and get into the mainstream. – Nicole from Spain
Stamford American International School is at 1 Woodleigh Lane. 6653 2949 | sais.edu.sg
This article first appeared in the November 2022 edition of Expat Living. You can buy the latest issue or subscribeso you never miss a copy!
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